Do Over - Zurück in die 80er

Pretty much out of the gate this is good fun with wicked smart humor. Roundly based on the totally whacked out premise that a less than fulfilling life of 34-year old Joel Larson is transported backt 20-years and, well, has a chance of a "do-over" complete with all the knowledge and experience of the 34-year old but in his 14-year old body.

If the above doesn't sell the show then I say "just watch". The cast is a treat, the music adds loads of smart period nostalgia. Did I mention the writing exhibits killer humor? There's some less obvious but interesting tidbits sprinkled like Jason Schwartzman being on stage as Joel delivers his raucous VP speach to the student body. This is very smart "dumb" humor.

Here we ae in 2021 and I still go back and watch this show because it rocks. What's perplexing is that it has remained a hidden jewel. On twenty four reviews as I make this 25th one on IMDB! Really? I can only guess is because the show has never been officially re-released in any format. Why? And why was such a great show given only one season? While that glaring omission can't be corrected it would be a better world if the singular one season was made available in the best quality streaming or on DVD (if that's still a thing). So as for now I highly recommend anyone who reads this to seek it out on YouTube. It is not the best quality, but the show is so good it really doesn't matter. Just see this imaginative conception of "time travel" with sharply delivered humor. It's one of the most fun shows I've seen period.

"Do Over" is about a single 34 year old guy who ends up back in his 14 year old body reliving that part of his life. It's really funny and enjoyable to watch how he changes the past for the better. Michael Milhoan plays his macho father and he's excellent. His mother & sister are good too. So is his friend Pat Brody played by Josh Wise. Penn Badgley plays the 14 yr. old Joel Larsen and plays it just right. I hope the future episodes will be as good.

Yeah, there was something wrong with the entire WB network and it has to do with the bad relationship WB network president Jamie Kellner and the rest of the entire WB network. Jamie's not favored on this show and that's why this show got messed up during the first half of its single season and then discontinued in the wrong time by the TV critics. Thank god, the WB network is officially shut down back in 2006.

This show is reasonable, but it needs to be rebooted in the low public cable network so it can last 1 or more seasons. Joel's current adult age should be changed from 34 to 54, this time.

I honestly enjoyed watching this show. It was really quite amusing and I think that the concept of going back and changing your life is really great. I was very disappointed that it got canceled and that it was never really given it's fair chance. I think Joel is an adorable and honest character, i would have liked to see more of him and his family!

I've often wondered what I would differently if I could return to my childhood. It seems creators Schwartz, Wiener et al also have had this idea, but they didn't settle to wonder, they decided to show. And that's where the idea of 'Do Over' stems from.

The setting is that Joel Larson, in his thirties and disappointed with his life, gets into a freak accident, and is sent 20 years into the past, into his teen years in the 80s. Incredulous at first, he soon starts to accept that he really is reliving his youth, and that he has the chance to try and use his knowledge of the future to better that future for himself and the people immediately around him. He finds out, though, that just knowing how things went wrong doesn't make it easy to make them right. This is also one of the strengths of the show: it doesn't take the easy way out, where Joel is able to change whatever he wants, but instead has to settle for compromises, and even finds new sides to the events he re-lives.

Penn Badgley in the main role strikes a believable chord as a teenager, but one that knows something that others don't. Supporting him as his friends are Josh Wise and Natasha Melnick, both personal and interesting individuals that stand separate from usual teen stereotypes. Melnick's role Isabelle Meyers is especially noteworthy, since she has an exceptionally well written female role, showing much more depth and independence than the majority of on-screen teenage girls. The casting for Joel's family is spot-on as well. His father and mother are no hollow fill-in roles, and since they have a major influence even in Joel's second life, it's natural that their characters are well developed as well. Gigi Rice as the sister seems to get a little less attention, though.

The theme of "do over" is carried subtly through all the episodes, although there is variation between episodes where Joel's knowledge affects more mundane, but no less interesting, affairs, and ones where he strives for major changes compared to his previous life as it was. All this is delivered through excellent, intelligent writing, with plenty of humor throughout the show as well. It often borders on the comedic, with some great laughs to be had, but since this isn't really a sitcom, there is no obnoxious laugh track. It all makes for exciting, interesting and engaging viewing, and even though the show was cut short, it is absolutely worth it to see what there is of it.